The Football Association has publicly criticised FIFA for the first time under president Gianni Infantino, condemning a plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors that nobody outside FIFA's inner circle seems to have known about.

In a statement released on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the FA said it had "grave concerns" about FIFA's governance and the proposals, which would see a 20% stake in a new $20 billion (£15 billion) commercial entity — FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — sold to private investors to raise up to $4.2 billion for global football development projects. The FA said it had seen no details of the plan and was completely unaware of it until media reports surfaced. The Guardian

FIFA, which worked with US bank JP Morgan to set up FFE, gave its 211 member associations a deadline of 19 September 2026 to decide whether to apply for an initial payment of $20 million (£15 million) in exchange for proceeds from the sale. The Guardian

The FA has joined UEFA in condemning the scheme. Concacaf — the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean — also released a statement saying it was only made aware of the matter through media reports and a FIFA press release. The Guardian

What makes the backlash striking is who was left in the dark. FA chair Debbie Hewitt is one of eight FIFA vice-presidents and watched many 2026 World Cup matches alongside Infantino himself, yet appears to have been shut out of the FFE discussions. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, who was instrumental in landing the joint US-Mexico-Canada 2026 World Cup bid, was similarly kept out of the loop. The Guardian

The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the US, Mexico and Canada, generated $15 billion in revenue for FIFA — the most lucrative tournament in the organisation's history. FIFA announced its plan to create the $20 billion subsidiary on Tuesday, July 28. Reuters

Even the UK Prime Minister weighed in, criticising FIFA's private investment plan. ITV News

Behind the scenes, the resistance is hardening. The FA is understood to be in talks with UEFA and other European associations determined to kill the plan, with all options reportedly on the table — including a boycott of FIFA tournaments and a potential breakaway. The Guardian

That threat does not exist in a vacuum. UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation were already bracing to fight a separate FIFA proposal to expand the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament. The Guardian

For fans, this is a row about who owns the World Cup. FIFA's plan would, for the first time, let private investors hold a stake in the tournament itself — the competition that every four years gives billions of people around the world something to share. The objection from the FA, UEFA and others is not just about money or process. It is about whether the game's biggest prize should be partly sold to people whose first interest is a financial return.

The 19 September deadline gives member associations less than two months to decide. Whether FIFA can weather this level of opposition — or whether the unity of its own vice-presidents cracks further — will shape the future of the World Cup itself.